Bild: Mostphotos.
Poor working conditions for bus drivers lead to poorer service for vulnerable passengers
Bus drivers’ inadequate working environment leads to poorer service for passengers with disabilities, according to a recent interview study involving representatives from various public transport actors.
Lena Levin from VTI and K2, and Vanessa Stjernborg from Lund University and K2, have examined how the governance of public transport and bus drivers’ working conditions influence drivers’ behaviour, with a particular focus on how passengers with disabilities are treated.
Previous research shows that travellers who require extra service and support often find it difficult to travel by public transport. Despite substantial investments, for example in technology intended to make it easier for passengers with reduced mobility to board and alight from buses, this target group does not appear to feel that their access to public transport has improved. To understand the underlying causes, the researchers interviewed representatives from public transport authorities, national authorities, an industry organisation, a contracted operator, and bus drivers’ trade unions. The results indicate that bus drivers in Sweden face increasingly difficult working conditions, and that this may contribute to passengers with disabilities receiving poorer service and treatment.
“The people we interviewed link the deterioration in bus drivers’ working conditions to public procurement practices and the economically constrained contracts that are often applied. The interviewees believed that this may lead to a high workload and stress for the drivers, which in turn affects their behaviour towards passengers,” says Vanessa Stjernborg.
Difficulties recruiting bus drivers
There is a major shortage of bus drivers in Sweden and across Europe. The underlying reasons why it is difficult to recruit and retain bus drivers seem to be working conditions involving split shifts resulting in long working days, stress caused by tight timetables and traffic congestion, and a tougher societal climate in which conflicts with passengers have become more common. In addition, bus drivers may lack access to toilets during long work shifts.
“We believe that there is a strong link between shortcomings in the working environment and vulnerable passengers’ limited opportunities to travel by public transport. Quite simply, we do not get a return on investments in advanced technology if bus drivers are too stressed to take the time required for those passengers who need a bit of extra help. And employees who are not content or do not feel appreciated provide poorer service,” says Vanessa Stjernborg.
No actor with overall responsibility
Another issue highlighted by the interviewees in the researchers’ study was that responsibility for the design of bus stops and station environments is shared among several different actors. This contributes to making the work of improving physical accessibility unnecessarily complex, and it means that passengers with disabilities do not know whom to contact when something is not functioning. There is no actor with overall responsibility.
“Much work has been done to improve accessibility in public transport, but there is still more to do, and the working environment for public transport employees now seems to be an urgent matter to address,” concludes Vanessa Stjernborg.
Text: Hanna Holm
Bild: Motsphotos
Read the article by Lena Levin and Vanessa Stjernborg, published in Case Studies on Transport Policy:
Public transport governance and working conditions of bus drivers: perspectives on accessibility for all in public transport – ScienceDirect
You can also read more about bus drivers’ working conditions in the following K2 report:
Ohållbar kollektivtrafik? Yrkesvardagen för bussförare som kör åt Skånetrafiken (In Swedish) (PDF, opens in new window)
In the K2 report below, you can read more about how physical spaces, such as bus stops, can be designed to give more people access to public transport:
Att skapa inkluderande kollektivtrafikrum (In Swedish) (PDF, opens in new window)